People v. Scott

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 11, 2026
DocketH053063
StatusPublished

This text of People v. Scott (People v. Scott) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Scott, (Cal. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

Filed 6/11/26

CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, H053063 (Santa Clara County Plaintiff and Respondent, Super. Ct. No. 179796)

v.

JAYE RAMON SCOTT, JR.

Defendant and Appellant.

Defendant Jaye Ramon Scott, Jr., who is currently serving a Three Strikes sentence, appeals from the trial court’s order declining to conduct a full resentencing after granting his petition pursuant to Penal Code section 1170.18 1 for relief under Proposition 47, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act (Proposition 47). The Attorney General concedes error. We agree, vacate the judgment, and remand for resentencing. We further decide that, upon remand, the trial court should conduct a new public safety inquiry under section 1170.126, subdivision (f), enacted pursuant to Proposition 36, the Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 (Proposition 36 or the Reform Act). To give effect to both Proposition 47 and Proposition 36, and analogizing to the California Supreme Court’s treatment of a similar issue in People v. Superior Court (Guevara) (2025) 18 Cal.5th 838

1 All further unspecified statutory references are to the Penal Code. (Guevara), we conclude that Scott must satisfy the substantive requirements of section 1170.126 to be resentenced pursuant to Proposition 47 on his Three Strikes sentence. I. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 2 On December 21, 1995, Scott was convicted by plea of involuntary manslaughter (§ 192, subd. (b); count 1) and grand theft (§§ 484, 487, subd. (c); count 2). He also admitted two prior strike convictions (§§ 667 & 1192.7) for robbery (§ 211) that qualified as two prior serious felony convictions (§ 667, former subd. (b)). In their plea agreement, the parties agreed that Scott would be sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison. On February 23, 1996, the trial court sentenced Scott to a total term of 35 years to life, which included two, consecutive five-year prison terms for his two prior serious felony convictions. 3 In 1999, the court denied a Romero motion filed by Scott. 4 On January 14, 2013, Scott filed a petition for resentencing under section 1170.126 for relief pursuant to Proposition 36. 5 The People conceded that Scott’s offenses rendered him eligible for resentencing but opposed the petition, arguing that the trial court should exercise its discretion to find that

2 We omit the facts of Scott’s offenses as they are not relevant to the

issues raised in his appeal. 3 The court reserved the issue of custody credits and awarded those on

March 1, 1996. Scott’s custody credits are not at issue in this appeal. 4 Scott’s motion under People v. Superior Court (Romero) (1996) 13

Cal.4th 497 does not appear in the record on appeal. 5 Scott’s section 1170.126 petition is the subject of a prior opinion of

this court. (People v. Scott (Nov. 10, 2015, H040176) [nonpub. opn.].) On our own motion, we take judicial notice of our prior unpublished opinion and incorporate into this opinion the relevant portions of the background set forth in it. (See Evid. Code, §§ 452, subd. (d), 459; In re Nelson (2020) 56 Cal.App.5th 114, 119, fn. 2.) 2 resentencing Scott would pose an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety (§ 1170.126, subd. (f)). On August 12, 2013, the court denied the petition after finding that resentencing Scott would pose an unreasonable risk to public safety. This court subsequently affirmed the trial court’s order. (People v. Scott, supra, H040176.) On November 3, 2022, Scott filed a petition in the superior court pursuant to section 1170.18 (petition). That section allows certain prisoners serving a sentence for crimes reclassified as misdemeanors by Proposition 47 to petition to have their sentences recalled and to be resentenced. (§ 1170.18, subd. (a); see generally People v. Valencia (2017) 3 Cal.5th 347 (Valencia).) Scott argued he was eligible for resentencing on count 2, his conviction for grand theft. Scott contended that the total value of the items associated with that count (a purse and its contents) did not exceed $950 and therefore the count should be redesignated as a misdemeanor and he should be resentenced. After a delay of several years that is unexplained in the appellate record, the trial court calendared a hearing on Scott’s petition for January 17, 2025. Prior to the hearing, the People filed an opposition. The People contended that resentencing Scott would pose an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety under section 1170.18, subdivision (b). In his reply, Scott asserted that the People had failed to meet their burden to prove that Scott poses an unreasonable risk to public safety, which under the Proposition 47 statutory scheme requires that the People must show it is more likely than not that Scott will commit a “ ‘super strike.’ ” 6

6 “ ‘[S]uper strike’ ” is the colloquial term for the eight categories of

particularly serious or violent felonies listed in section 667, subdivision (e)(2)(C)(iv). (See Valencia, supra, 3 Cal.5th at p. 351.) 3 The reply details rehabilitative efforts Scott has undertaken in prison. Scott requested that the court redesignate count 2 as a misdemeanor. The trial court held a hearing on the petition on January 17, 2025. The parties presented argument as to whether the People had demonstrated that, if released, Scott was likely to commit a “ ‘super strike.’ ” The court found that the People had not met their burden of proof to demonstrate Scott’s ineligibility for Proposition 47 relief and granted Scott’s petition to redesignate count 2 as a misdemeanor. The court continued the matter for sentencing. Prior to sentencing, Scott requested that the trial court conduct a full resentencing under the authority of section 1170.18 and People v. Buycks (2018) 5 Cal.5th 857, 893 (Buycks). Scott argued that it made no difference that his aggregate sentence implicated both Proposition 36 and Proposition 47. Scott further contended that the court must apply “current ameliorative law,” because his case is not yet final on appeal. Because Scott’s conviction for involuntary manslaughter was a nonserious, nonviolent felony, Scott argued he must be sentenced to “a determinate term as a Two Striker.” Scott further asserted that he was entitled to have the trial court consider a new Romero motion because the full resentencing rule allows the court to revisit all prior sentencing decisions. Scott argued he is entitled to application of section 1385, subdivision (c), including its enumeration of mitigating circumstances and public safety. Scott requested that he be resentenced on count 1 to a determinate term. The People opposed Scott’s request for resentencing on count 1, arguing that a defendant seeking Proposition 47 relief after a denial of a Proposition 36 petition is not entitled to a full resentencing. The People contended Scott was not so entitled because “Proposition 36 created a very specific statutory

4 path for its retroactive application [and] that [Scott] does not qualify for as he sought that relief but was denied.” The People maintained that Scott could, at most, be resentenced on count 2, “leaving his life sentence intact as Proposition 36 requires because of his unreasonable risk to public safety finding.” The People also opposed Scott’s Romero motion, asserting that he did not fall outside the spirit of the Three Strikes law. At a hearing on January 30, 2025, the trial court considered the parties’ arguments as to the scope of its sentencing authority. The court rejected Scott’s contention that it had the authority to conduct a full resentencing. The court concluded it had jurisdiction only to resentence him on count 2. The court reasoned that, because counts 1 and 2 ran concurrently to one another, it was not obligated to resentence Scott on count 1.

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Related

People v. Superior Court (Romero)
917 P.2d 628 (California Supreme Court, 1996)
DeVita v. County of Napa
889 P.2d 1019 (California Supreme Court, 1995)
People v. Valencia
397 P.3d 936 (California Supreme Court, 2017)
People v. Buycks
422 P.3d 531 (California Supreme Court, 2018)
People v. Valenzuela
441 P.3d 896 (California Supreme Court, 2019)

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Scott, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-scott-calctapp-2026.